Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

As a writer, I’m always interested in ways to hone my skills; so, from time to time, I do practice exercises. Recently I came across one that set me thinking. The assignment was to spend ten minutes writing down everything you remember about your first grade teacher as a way of developing characters for stories.

Ten minutes, I thought. I can do that. So I sat at my computer.

Two minutes ticked by, and in that time all I could remember was my first grade teacher’s name. It was Mrs. Cary. But was she tall? Thin? Stout? Short? Grandmotherly? Or young? I cannot picture her at all in my mind’s eye.

Five minutes ticked by. I recalled things about my classmates and the school bus that turned around in my front yard, since I lived farthest from Virgil Central School. I remembered the classroom itself and the play yard. Even Darla and David, the twins who lived next door and rode the same bus. They had eight older brothers and sisters, some of whom also piled onto the bus. But beyond her name, nothing stands out about Mrs. Cary.

Do you remember your first grade teacher? If so, maybe you could spend ten minutes writing about him or her and email me some good descriptions. Perhaps we’ll even discover the art of character description together. Send your memories to Anne@AnneBrandt.com. I’d be grateful.